PUNCH TO THE GUT: DEA Chief Michele Leonhart Rips Obama’s Pot Remarks

The head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is now openly criticizing Barack Obama for his recent comments over the question of marijuana legalization, according to multiple reports.

The Boston Herald reports it has sources who heard DEA chief Michele Leonhart “slam” Obama at last week’s National Sheriffs’ Association winter meeting in Washington. The Herald reports the sheriffs in Bristol County, Massachusetts, and Kern County, California, both reported that Leonhart was critical of the president’s claim that marijuana’s affects are no different than alcohol’s. Here’s an excerpt:

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said he was thrilled to hear the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration take her boss to task.

“She’s frustrated for the same reasons we are,” Hodgson said. “She said she felt the administration didn’t understand the science enough to make those statements. She was particularly frustrated with the fact that, according to her, the White House participated in a softball game with a pro-legalization group. … But she said her lowest point in 33 years in the DEA was when she learned they’d flown a hemp flag over the Capitol on July 4. The sheriffs were all shocked. This is the first time in 28 years I’ve ever heard anyone in her position be this candid.”

Kern County sheriff Donny Youngblood told the Herald Leonhart received a “standing ovation” from the law enforcement agents at the convention.